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MARKING MACHINE Filed May 5, 1 934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 fizz/e22 Z02: CizarZes IZatm? MMJMV Att Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 MARKING MACHINE Application May 5, 1934, Serial No. 724,036

7 Claims. (01. 101-297) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for marking, perforating and/or indenting blanks of sheet materials such as shoe upper sections and the like.

In the manufacture of shoes, particularly womens shoes, it is customary to apply ornamental designs to the shoe uppers, the designs usually being applied by stitching, perforating and/ or indenting the cut-out sections of the uppers before they are assembled. Where the ornamental design consists of rows of stitching the cut-out blanks are first marked by means of an embossing plate and a pigmented transfer sheet, as described in the Edwards Patent No. 1,639,332, and where the design consists of rows of perforations and/or indentations, the perforations and/or indentations are applied by a suitable die or the like member, such as is shown in the patent to Lupien No. 1,689,633. In either case the operation is carried out in a press and in order to insure accuracy in applying the markings or perforations, it is absolutely necessary to position the blank or cut-out upper either in precise registry with the marking plate, or squarely against the guide members or the like which may be provided to assist the operator in accurately positioning the blank on the work bed of the press. During the marking operation, particularly where attempts are made to speed up production, the operator often inadvertently fails to position the blank squarely against the stop or guide members so that the blank is not disposed in precise registry with the marking plate when the pressure is applied thereto, and consequently the location of the markings or perforations are out of line and the blank mustbe discarded.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a marking apparatus of the aforesaid type which is automatically operative accurately to position the blank on the work bed so that it will be in precise registry with the marking plate when the pressure is applied thereto, thereby overcoming the possibility of inaccurately locating the markings and/or perforations on the blank.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the aforesaid type which is of simple and durable construction, embodying a minimum number of parts, which apparatus is reliable and eiiicie-nt in operation, and which permits the marking and/ or perforating operation to be carried on more accurately and at greater speed than heretofore possible.

Further objects relate to the construction and operation of my improved apparatus and will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and accompanying drawings, where- 1n:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a marking apparatus embodying the present invention, the platen or press head marking device and template being shown in elevated and intermediate positions by the full and broken lines, respectively;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with the platen or press head removed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section through the marking apparatus with the platen or press head in lowered position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the template and marking device in open position; and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the template and marking device in closed position.

The embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a base l0 having a centrally disposed tubular collar I l projecting from its upper surface and providing a socket I2. A work bed I5 is mounted on a base and is yieldingly supported by coil springs 16 adjacent to each of its four corners. The work bed preferably com- 5 prises a fiat, rectangular plate of metal provided with a smooth top surface. Each spring is seated on a nut ll adjustably mounted on a vertically projecting threaded stem I8 carried by the base In. A look nut l9 may be provided to hold the supporting nut l! in adjusted position. The work bed is provided with a centrally disposed depending boss 20 which loosely fits into the socket I2 and serves to limit both the downward and lateral movements of the work bed relative 3 to the base. The boss 20 is preferably semicylindrical in form so as to permit the work bed to rock about an axis through the center of its base, there being a slight clearance between the sides of the boss and the walls of the column to permit a universal tipping movement.

A bar 22 is attached to the front edge of the work bed i5 and extends beyond each end of the bed as shown in Fig. 2, so as to provide brackets or projections 23, each. of which may be provided 5 on its top side with an obliquely disposed slot. Bracket arms 24 are secured to the rear edge of the work bed and are arranged to project beyond each end so as to provide brackets corresponding to those on the front edge of the work bed. Each of the bracket arms 24 is provided with a circular opening which is aligned with the bottom of the slot in the corresponding bracket at the front of the work bed. Spindles 21 and 28 are mounted in the openings and slots of the bracket arms 23 and 24, andeach spindle is provided at its front end with a hand wheel 29 by means of which the spindle may be manually rotated. Each spindle is also provided with a longitudinally extending slot between its ends, through which the ends of a transfer sheet 30 and a slip sheet 3| (Figs. 1 and 3) may be inserted.

The transfer sheet 36 may be of any suitable thin sheet material such as paper impregnated or coated with a pigment of a color which preferably contrasts with the color of the leather or other blank 32 which is to be marked. Each end of the transfer sheet and slip sheet is secured to one of the spindles and upon rotating one or the other, the transfer sheet and slip paper will be wound up into a roll. The slip sheet ti is preferably of thin paper having a smooth, calendered surface and its width and thickness preferably correspond to the width and thickness or the transfer sheet. For example, the transfer sheet may be of the order of .0025 inch in thickness and the slip sheet approximately the same. Both the transfer sheet and the slip sheet extend across the top of the work bed from one roll to the other, the pigmented surface of the transfer sheet facing upwardly and the slip sheet being. disposed between the surface of the work bed and the transfer sheet, thus providing a smooth, substantially frictionless non-yielding supporting surface for the transfer sheet during the marking operation. Either spindle 21, 28 may be manually rotated and adjusted from time to time by the operator during the continued use of the machine so as to shift the transfer sheet and slip paper back and forth across the work bed, thus presenting fresh areas of pigmented surfaces to the work asrequired.

Bolted to the top of the base ii) are two upwardly and rearwardly extending bracket arms iii which support a horizontalpivot or pintle ii, the axis of which is parallel to and in approximately the same horizontal plane as the top of the work bed i5. A platen i3. is pivotally mounted on the pintle 4i and comprises a body portion conforming in size and shape to the work bed l5 and a flat under surface to cooperate with the top surface of the work bed. A slightly resilient sheet of rubber id or other suitable cushioning material may be secured to the under surface of the platen, if desired. Attached to the top of the body portion of the platen are a pair of upwardly and forwardly curved bracket arms 55, the forward ends of which support a handle (not shown) by means of which the platen may be swung downwardly against the workbed l5.

The platen is normally and yieldingly held in elevated or open position by means of a coil spring 5% one end'of which is anchored'to the column H on the base and the other end attached to an eye-bolt 53 carried by a bracket 56. The eye-bolt 53 is provided with a stop nut 55, the adjustment of which regulates the tension of the spring 59 and the top nut may be secured in any desired adjusted position by means of a wing nut 5%. The bracket 54 is attached to the lower link 58 of a pair of toggle links 58, 59. The lower toggle link 53 is pivoted at 68 to a bracket 6! rigidly secured to the base iii and the upper end of the upper toggle link 59 is pivotally connected at 63 to a bracket 64 rigidly secured to the platen 33. The spring 50 is under sufficient tension normally to support the platen in open position as shown bythe-full lines of Fig. l and when the platen is swung downwardly into closed position (Fig. 3) the toggle links 58, 59 are buckled outwardly away from the base to stretch the spring 50 so that it will automatically return the platen to its nor-' mal elevated position when the operator releases it after each marking operation.

A marking plate 65 is riveted or otherwise secured to a supporting plate or panel 66 which may be of compressed fiber board or the like rigid material. The rear edge of the supporting plate 66 is provided with an extenson 61, as shown in- Fig. 4, and a gauge member or template design to be applied to the blank. The inner A edge of the gauge member or template 10 has a contour which conforms to the inner edge 16 of the marking plate and the latter is so positioned on the supporting plate that when the supporting plate and template are swung. into closed position their adjacent edges 15 and 16 are disposed in close interfitting relationship as shown in Fig. 5. The thickness of the template is preferably appreciably greater than that of the marking plate so that its inner edge 15 provides an abutment or stop against which the correspondingly shaped edge of the cut-out blank or shoe upper section 32 may engage and thus be held in precise registry with the marking plate when the supporting plate is swung into closed position, as shown in Fig. 5.

The supporting plate is bolted or otherwise secured to the under side of the platen 43 so that the hinges H and T2 are disposed between the laterally offset pivot or axis 4| of the platen and the rear edge of the work bed, and the gauge member or template Hl rests freely on the surface of the work bed with its edge 15 in contact therewith as shown in Fig. 1. With this construction and arrangement the template is-free to move transversely of the work bed and when the platen is swung upwardly away from the work bed the template creeps or moves rearwardly toward the back of the work bed and, conversely, downward movement of the platen effects a forward movement of the template toward the front of the work bed, as indicated by the dot and dash lines of Fig. 1.

In using the apparatus, a cut-out blank or shoe upper section 32 is first laid on the surface of the work bed so that its curved edge (that corresponding in contour with the edge 15 of the template) either engages or is in reasonably close relation to the edge 15 of the template, as indicated by the broken lines ((1-11) in Fig. 2, and when thus positioned the platen may then be swung downwardly toward the work bed to apply the markings to the blank. During the downward movement of the platen edge 15 of the template moves toward the blank 32, as indicated by the dot and dash lines (b-b) of Fig. 2, into closer engagement or relation to the adjacent edge of the blank, and when the platen finally is brought into contact with the work bed, the template has then moved into full engagement with the blank and has thus become effective to position it in precise registry with the marking plate, as shownin Fig. 3.

The forward movement of the template, al-' though slight, is nevertheless effective tourge the 2,015,994 blank into a snug, interfitting engagement with its edge and thus overcomes any inaccuracies of the operator when placing the blank on the work bed. For example, the operator may place the blank on the work bed so that one end is in contact with the template while the other end of the same edge is spaced from the corresponding end of the template. Ordinarily the markings applied to the blank when thus positioned would be inaccurate, but by reason of the forward movement of the template in response to the downward movement of the platen, the position of the blank on the work bed is automatically shifted so that when the platen is finally brought down against the work bed the blank is squarely positioned against the template or gauge in registry with the marking plate. It is thus apparent that as long as the edge of the blank lies within the range of movement of the template, the markings applied to the blank will be accurately located and consequently it is unnecessary for the operator to take the time accurately to position the blank against the edge of the template or gauge member. The assistance thus afforded not only saves an appreciable amount of time and speeds up production, but also enhances the quality of the work. As the positioning of the blank on the work bed is automatic, an accurate application of the markings is assured and the operation may be performed by an inexperienced or unskilled operator.

The terms marking plate, marker and markings as herein used are intended to denote any of the instruments and operations for applying markings, designs or patterns to sheet mate-- rial, including markings by printing from a transfer sheet as a guide for subsequent stitching, markings by indentation of the surface of the sheet simulating stitching or producing other ornamental effects, perforating the sheet by punching holes completely through it, forming imitation perforations which simulate true perforations but are in reality non-perforating indentations, and embossings generally.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that various changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a work bed adapted to support a cut-out blank in position to be marked, a platen pivotally mounted to be swung toward and away from said work bed, a marking plate secured to said platen, and gauge means pivotally connected to said marking plate, said gauge means being operative in response to the movement of said platen to engage and accurately position said blank in registry with said marking plate when said platen is swung downwardly against said work bed.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a work bed adapted to support a cut-out blank in position to be marked, a platen pivotally mounted to be swung toward and away from said work bed about an axis laterally offset relative to said work bed, a marking plate secured to said platen, and gauge means pivotally connected to said platen at a point between said laterally offset axis and the adjacent edge of said work bed, said gauge means being operative to engage and accurately position said blank in registry with said marking plate when said platen is swung downwardly against said work bed.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a work bed adapted to support a cut-out blank in position to be marked, a platen pivotally mounted to be swung toward and away from said work bed, a marking plate secured to said platen, and a template pivotally connected to said platen, said template having a contour conforming to that of said cut-out blank and being operative to engage and accurately position said blank in registry with said marking plate when said platen is swung downwardly against said work bed.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a work bed adapted to support a cut-out blank in position to be marked, a platen pivotally mounted to be swung toward and away from 'said work bad about an axis laterally oifset relative to said work bed, a marking plate secured to said platen, and a template pivotally connecte ed to said platen at a point between said laterally offset axis and the adjacent edge of said work bed, said template having a contour conforming to that of said cut-out blank and being operative accurately to position said blank in registry with said marking plate when said platen is swung downwardly against said work bed.

,5. In marking apparatus of the class described, the combination with relatively movable pressure members, of means for positioning and marking a blank, said means comprising a supporting plate secured to one of said pressure members, a marking plate secured to said supporting plate, and a template pivotally connected to said supporting plate and operative to position a blank in registry with said marking plate.

6. Marking apparatus comprising a supporting member, a marking plate secured to said supporting member, and a template pivotally connected to said supporting member and operative to position a blank to be marked in registry with said marking plate when said supporting plate and template are swung into closed position.

7. Apparatus for marking cut-out shoe upper sections, comprising a supporting member, a marking plate secured to said supporting member, and a template pivotally connected to said supporting member, said template having a contour conforming to that of said cut-out shoe upper section and being operative to position said section in registry with said marking plate when said supporting member and template are swung into closed position.

CHARLES F. EATON. 

